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<title>Debugging with GDB: Requirements</title>

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<a name="Requirements"></a>
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<p>
Next: <a href="Running-Configure.html#Running-Configure" accesskey="n" rel="next">Running Configure</a>, Up: <a href="Installing-GDB.html#Installing-GDB" accesskey="u" rel="up">Installing GDB</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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<hr>
<a name="Requirements-for-Building-GDB"></a>
<h3 class="section">C.1 Requirements for Building <small>GDB</small></h3>
<a name="index-building-GDB_002c-requirements-for"></a>

<p>Building <small>GDB</small> requires various tools and packages to be available.
Other packages will be used only if they are found.
</p>
<a name="Tools_002fPackages-Necessary-for-Building-GDB"></a>
<h3 class="heading">Tools/Packages Necessary for Building <small>GDB</small></h3>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt>ISO C90 compiler</dt>
<dd><p><small>GDB</small> is written in ISO C90.  It should be buildable with any
working C90 compiler, e.g. GCC.
</p>
</dd>
</dl>

<a name="Tools_002fPackages-Optional-for-Building-GDB"></a>
<h3 class="heading">Tools/Packages Optional for Building <small>GDB</small></h3>
<dl compact="compact">
<dt>Expat</dt>
<dd><a name="Expat"></a><p><small>GDB</small> can use the Expat XML parsing library.  This library may be
included with your operating system distribution; if it is not, you
can get the latest version from <a href="http://expat.sourceforge.net">http://expat.sourceforge.net</a>.
The <samp>configure</samp> script will search for this library in several
standard locations; if it is installed in an unusual path, you can
use the <samp>--with-libexpat-prefix</samp> option to specify its location.
</p>
<p>Expat is used for:
</p>
<ul>
<li> Remote protocol memory maps (see <a href="Memory-Map-Format.html#Memory-Map-Format">Memory Map Format</a>)
</li><li> Target descriptions (see <a href="Target-Descriptions.html#Target-Descriptions">Target Descriptions</a>)
</li><li> Remote shared library lists (See <a href="Library-List-Format.html#Library-List-Format">Library List Format</a>,
or alternatively see <a href="Library-List-Format-for-SVR4-Targets.html#Library-List-Format-for-SVR4-Targets">Library List Format for SVR4 Targets</a>)
</li><li> MS-Windows shared libraries (see <a href="Files.html#Shared-Libraries">Shared Libraries</a>)
</li><li> Traceframe info (see <a href="Traceframe-Info-Format.html#Traceframe-Info-Format">Traceframe Info Format</a>)
</li><li> Branch trace (see <a href="Branch-Trace-Format.html#Branch-Trace-Format">Branch Trace Format</a>,
see <a href="Branch-Trace-Configuration-Format.html#Branch-Trace-Configuration-Format">Branch Trace Configuration Format</a>)
</li></ul>

</dd>
<dt>zlib</dt>
<dd><a name="index-compressed-debug-sections"></a>
<p><small>GDB</small> will use the &lsquo;<samp>zlib</samp>&rsquo; library, if available, to read
compressed debug sections.  Some linkers, such as GNU gold, are capable
of producing binaries with compressed debug sections.  If <small>GDB</small>
is compiled with &lsquo;<samp>zlib</samp>&rsquo;, it will be able to read the debug
information in such binaries.
</p>
<p>The &lsquo;<samp>zlib</samp>&rsquo; library is likely included with your operating system
distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
<a href="http://zlib.net">http://zlib.net</a>.
</p>
</dd>
<dt>iconv</dt>
<dd><p><small>GDB</small>&rsquo;s features related to character sets (see <a href="Character-Sets.html#Character-Sets">Character Sets</a>) require a functioning <code>iconv</code> implementation.  If you are
on a GNU system, then this is provided by the GNU C Library.  Some
other systems also provide a working <code>iconv</code>.
</p>
<p>If <small>GDB</small> is using the <code>iconv</code> program which is installed
in a non-standard place, you will need to tell <small>GDB</small> where to find it.
This is done with <samp>--with-iconv-bin</samp> which specifies the
directory that contains the <code>iconv</code> program.
</p>
<p>On systems without <code>iconv</code>, you can install GNU Libiconv.  If you
have previously installed Libiconv, you can use the
<samp>--with-libiconv-prefix</samp> option to configure.
</p>
<p><small>GDB</small>&rsquo;s top-level <samp>configure</samp> and <samp>Makefile</samp> will
arrange to build Libiconv if a directory named <samp>libiconv</samp> appears
in the top-most source directory.  If Libiconv is built this way, and
if the operating system does not provide a suitable <code>iconv</code>
implementation, then the just-built library will automatically be used
by <small>GDB</small>.  One easy way to set this up is to download GNU
Libiconv, unpack it, and then rename the directory holding the
Libiconv source code to &lsquo;<samp>libiconv</samp>&rsquo;.
</p></dd>
</dl>

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